Pro Wrestler Vader Dies at 63

The world of professional wrestling is mourning the loss of another legend. Leon White, better known as Vader, died on Monday at the age of 63.

In a couple of Twitter posts on Wednesday, one of White's children said his father died of heart failure after battling pneumonia over the past month.

White had a variety of heart issues in recent months and had open-heart surgery in late March.

As his Vader persona, he spent more than 30 years in professional wrestling with one of the most iconic looks in the sport's history. His "get-up" included a red and black singlet, and a mask of thin strips of red and black leather that made up a menacing webbing.

He first found success wrestling in Japan in the '80s. He would move over to WCW in 1990, where he would become a world champion. In 1996, he jumped over to WWE (then known as the WWF).

Late in his career he returned to Japan and continued performing in the ring until as recently as April 2017.

Before his pro wrestling career, White was a two-time All-American center in football at the University of Colorado. He would get drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the third round of the 1978 draft. He was a part of the Rams' Super Bowl XIV roster but knee problems brought his NFL career to an early end.